Reading List: Operation Happiness

Kristi Ling wants to smash the idea that happiness is a lucky accident that befalls some people but not others. Instead, she says, “Happiness is a skill that can be learned, improved upon, and even mastered—just like playing the violin or riding a bike.” If you’re willing to follow her program, which is grounded in neuroscience, cognitive-behavioral psychology and ancient spiritual disciplines, you can learn to be happy, too.

Part I of Operation Happiness focuses on how to change defeatist attitudes. Part II devotes five chapters to restructuring mornings to support daily happiness. Part III unveils Ling’s 11 Habits of Happy People. All three sections provide actionable steps, worksheets and tools. As Ling writes, “I can’t promise it will be easy, but if you stick with it for as long as it takes to feel the shift in your core, you will reach a new level of consistent, sustainable happiness.”